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by Ejes
Summary: How hard could it be to knock on a door? It was just a piece of wood. And, well, if he didn't knock, Kairi would probably kill him. But the more Lea stared at the door, the more scared he was. Scared someone would open it. Scared no one would. It wasn't just a door. It was so much more. [One-shot]


_**Tip: Did you know I tease the next fic to be posted on my profile? I'm doing my best to keep it up-to-date!**_

 _ **So many stuff were posted this week x'D I had to write down a planning to know when to post my fics, I've still got quite a few around! Before KH, I hadn't written anything since Valentine's last year. I missed writing a lot, so hopefully I'll keep the hype for quite a while!**_

 _ **Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this short piece of cuteness :D**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own KH. I think.**_

* * *

Lea stared at the door, unsure about what to do. Honestly, he wasn't even sure he wanted to be here - but Kairi had insisted. Threatened him. Almost dragged him here.

He took a deep breathe in. _This is so stupid,_ he thought, realising his hand was trembling. _Come on. You can do it. It's just a door. The house might even be empty._

Finally, he knocked. Not too loud, hoping it would be unnoticed. And at first, he thought it worked: there was not a sound in the house. He was about to leave, relieved, when he heard the door unlocking. Suddenly, there was no air left in his lungs, and he did his best to fight panic. He instantly missed the time when he had no heart.

A woman opened the door. Grey hair framed a face with tired green eyes, as if she had be worn out by life. She stared blankly at him.

"Hello? May I help you, young man?"

He gasped. Rumours had been true. Part of him wanted to pretend he got the wrong door and run away. But not only he couldn't go back to the headquarters right now - Kairi would _really_ kill him, there was also a part of him that didn't want to go.

He realised he had stayed silent way too long and it was starting to get awkward. The woman was clearly considering closing the door. Balling his fists to give him courage, he said a word that had not crossed his lips for over a decade.

"Mum?"

The woman didn't answer. She didn't react either. She kept staring at him in that uncomfortable silence. Perhaps she didn't hear? It was true that his voice had almost been a whisper, and she clearly wasn't that young anymore.

"It's me. Lea. Do you…"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"No. You are not my son."

He felt a stab in his heart, as she glared at him with her cold eyes. He had known it wasn't a good idea to come.

"My son disappeared ten years ago, just before this world almost got fully destroyed. He probably died when these monsters invaded that place. A group of people took me to a town called Traverse Town, and sent me back here a year ago when this world had been restored. There was no news of my son. I have mourned him. If he had survived, he would have come back years ago."

He lowered his eyes, feeling tears prickling. It was too late to go back now.

" _We'll be back before nightfall. Don't touch anything in my room!_ "

Although she stayed still, he noticed a small change in her posture. Her eye twitching a bit.

"You remember these words, right? These were the last words I told you before leaving." He chuckled and looked at the sky. "I guess it's not nightfall yet, right?"

Something changed in her eyes. They turned softer, and she took a step forward, closing the distance between them.

And then she slapped him.

"Of course I remember. And of course I know who you are. What kind of mother do you think I am? You still have that arrogant look on your face. And has your hair not seen a hairbrush in over ten years? Do you know how _worried_ I was? Did you think you could just come over here with a smile and be welcomed with a warm hug? I _do_ hope you have a decent reason for vanishing for so long, Lea, because I have plenty of other slaps ready for you if I don't like your answers."

His hand on his cheek, he stared at her, shocked, before laughing.

"That's… That's a pretty long story, honestly. And I'm not sure I can tell you all of it."

She crossed her arms. "I've got plenty of time, and a full coffee pot. Come inside."

He followed her, his stomach knotted.

Of course, the place wasn't as he remembered - a world destruction didn't help preserve your house - but many things were still familiar. The table was the same. The pictures on the wall. He heard a bark, and a dog jogged to him, smelling him and running in circles around him.

"Bonfire! Hey there, buddy! Did you miss me?" The dog barked and waved his tail.

"I hoped he would bite you. You'd deserve that much."

She gave him a cup of coffee, but no matter how bitter the drink was, his mother was even more bitter than that. He suspected her picture was used as the definition of bitterness if he looked up in the dictionary. Not that he could blame her.

"Okay… Where should I start?"

"How about the day you made a promise you didn't hold?"

He winced, thinking about how much he could tell.

"Dilan had… You remember Dilan, right? The guard? He had taken my saucers away, and I wanted to get it back. I snuck into the castle, and… And then hell broke loose, and I woke up in a different place. I couldn't come back here. So I, uh… There were these guys, the ones from the castle, and we ended up working together. And then I met these new people, and they, uh, they got me back here. I'm sorry I couldn't come back earlier."

That was a messy story, but that was the closest to truth he could come up with without mentioning Heartless, Nobodies and Keyblades.

"What about Isa?"

He froze. He had omitted Isa on purpose. But she had noticed, of course.

"What about Isa, Lea? Where is he? His parents are back too. And they will want to know what happened to their son."

He escaped her gaze, shameful.

"He's… He was with me. It's all my fault if he… We worked together. But around a year ago… I'm still looking for him. I will find him."

For the first time since she opened the door, his mother lost her annoyed frown, switching for a soft face expression, as she took his hand.

"I'm glad you are back. Excuse me for being so harsh, but… My heart has been crushed for ten years, so you deserved some payback. You sure grew a lot."

And finally, his mask broke, and tears started running freely on his cheeks. His mother stood up and slowly started rocking him, just like when he was a little boy.

"My boy is back. My baby boy is back."

"I'm no baby, Mum."

"You'll always be mine. No discussion."

He hugged her back, and for a few minutes, they didn't move. When she finally let him go, there was a new sadness in her eyes.

"I suppose you won't stay?"

He ruffled his hair, uneasy. "No. I can't. I've got things to do. Friends to help. Isa to find. But I'll come back, I promise."

"You'd better. This time, I swear I will learn how to travel between worlds to bring you back if needed."

He chuckled. "I made the same promise to friends, once. But… I have yet to bring them back."

She squeezed his hand with a soft smile. "You've never been good at promises anyway. But if you don't come back…" Suddenly, he realised she reminded him of Kairi. An incredibly nice woman… But also a terrifying one.

"I know, I know. I'll be back soon." He put a kiss on her cheek and ruffled the fur of his dog. "See you soon, Bonfire! Be a good boy, okay?" Bonfire happily barked.

His mother walked him to the door, but, right before he left, she smacked the back of his head.

"And, stupid son, don't you think I am not aware Dilan, Aeleus and the others came back a month ago. And don't you think I did not see your ridiculous hairstyle around before. Took you a whole month to come and see your poor mother? Ungrateful boy, just like his father."

Of course, he couldn't tell him he had learnt she was here only a week ago. He couldn't tell her he had been terrified to come here since there. He couldn't tell her he had mentioned this to Kairi by accident and that she had forced him to brave his fears to come.

She didn't wait for an answer, as she smiled, leaning against the door.

"Worrying me so much! Go, now. Say hi to Isa for me. But I beg of you, brush that hair."

There was so much he wanted to say, but he really had to go. So instead, he just said the words he had been longing to tell for so long.

"I'm sorry, Mum. I love you."

* * *

 _ **Fin.**_

 ** _I've let Lea's father's status unknown on purpose. Nothing's planned right now, but who knows, I might need it for a later fic!_**

 ** _Lea and Isa were still teenagers when everything went nuts on Radiant Garden. I know family isn't a theme much mentioned in the KH series, but they probably still lived with their parents back then. I wonder what truly happened to them. I hope they are safe :x_**

 ** _Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! :D_**


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